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-   -   How much do helicopter pilots earn? (https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/163441-how-much-do-helicopter-pilots-earn.html)

Ascend Charlie 7th November 2003 16:13

Come on John, it was Dynamically Unstable doing the fishing, not you!

Yes, I am working on my second million dollars now.

I gave up hope of ever making my first, so went straight for the second!:8

Steve76 7th November 2003 21:46

To throw the cat among the pidgeons............

It is my knowledge that a heavylift driver of something like a Skycrane or similar is typically on 100000 US + for pulling logs.
Not confirmed but the bloke who taught me to fly flew for Erikson month on month off and he often said there where guys on the equivalent of $200,000 NZD.

Fact or fiction? :hmm:

Thomas coupling 8th November 2003 02:11

What's that in US$ or GBP£, please?

C'mon any other salaries to own up to???

Helipolarbear 8th November 2003 02:42

The Rotor & Wing annual salary review will be out soon, and is a good reflection on pay checks in the US and Canada. But, for the rest of the world there doesn't seem to be much consistancy.
In Europe, UK & Ireland included the specifics of Helipilot employment take on many variations. Apart from distinguishing SAR, Off Shore, Air Amb, Police, Corporate and Utility..........other dynamics of pay have a big factor to play...Tax, Pension scheme, Loss of Licence Insurance, Transportatin Allowance, Medicals and License Requirements ( which are very different in the JAA with each member state..Tax too).....uniforms etc..........
One thing is for sure, The North Sea is a Hostile area........and I ain't talking about the legal B**L......................You got to fly IFR at FL 60 just to get a bit of sun on your face...so the Pilots do earn their income there.
The most lucrative deals are probably in the Corporate and Flight Ops Mgr positions...............but they have their headaches associted with the big checks!
It's up to pilots themselves to self promote their own value on a given job...not easy, but gives the best results in the long term and everyone benefits....................Experiance is the big key along with the Certs and types held!!

Hummingfrog 8th November 2003 05:44

Supply and demand is what drives the capitalist system. The workers want to get as much as possible; the employers want to pay as little as possible.

In the N Sea we "won" a reasonable salary by banding together and threatening to withdraw our labour. Nobody could stand in for us as we are a highly skilled workforce that can not be replaced easily; therefore we "won" our pay rise.

We as a group do ourselves down too often. We are a highly skilled workforce who serves a long apprenticeship to become a/c commanders. We are not the most highly paid workers in the oil industry. I live and work on a platform and have a very good idea of where we stand in the pecking order and it is not near the top!!

In my area of the N Sea $8000million of oil is produced per year. You have seen the oil companies profits! My company’s pilot’s salary bill is approx 0.0006% of that.

It is up to other areas to fight their own battles and demand higher salaries. In my neck of the woods it is becoming very expensive to get a license so supply and demand along with a strong will to be treated well may keep our salaries at a level our skill base demands!!
:ok:

HF

Thomas coupling 8th November 2003 08:49

C'mon then lets have some figures.
We want comparisons not peripheral paraphernalia :*

Helipolarbear 8th November 2003 19:16

TC

Whats your numbers.......after tax, and what are the bennies for you?..................Also, what machine(s), job profile, day's a week, hours a day, where, for how long?????????.......You get the ball rolling....you're screamin for the numbers!!

Hummingfrog 8th November 2003 20:42

Come on TC what do you earn? I am a yr 14 offshore commander and our pay scales have been published on this forum - try a search around May 2003!!

So if you are so desperate to know other people's salaries tell us yours! Publish your payscales etc.

HF

aquila105 8th November 2003 21:58

Gulf of Mexico
Offshore IFR Captain, 15 years w/ company, about $ 75,000.
VFR captain, same seniority, about $ 65,000.

Thomas coupling 9th November 2003 03:02

You're quite right, guys, apologies:

217 Gold ounces / yr @ today's rates. Working for 164 days a year.

Off to your currency calculators....GO!

The UK police don't have a 'rate' it is a mixed bag dependent on direct employment or supplied pilots.
The range (in my experience) would be between:
£32000 and £58000 for a practicing police pilot.

overpitched 9th November 2003 03:09

You guys are killing me. $38000... 28 on / 4 off to 3 months on / 4 days off. Middle of nowhere, sleeping in tents, cold showers, no tv/radio and all the beef you can kill. Should I be somewhere else ??

the wizard of auz 9th November 2003 07:39

overpitched, mate that sounds awfully familiar..... about the same as my fixed wing position.......... only reason I went rotory was to increase the fun factor. (you forgot to mention the station hands that are almost as clever as the stock, the heat and dust, the requirement to work in the yards after flying and the loooooong days)

overpitched 9th November 2003 08:53

Wizard,

Sometimes I whish I was a cow chaser. Even they get paid more than I do.

Steve76 9th November 2003 08:53

!!!!e Overpitched you must be a veteran of many the arse end of a brahman......:)

I was on $24000, 28 on, 2 off and I no holidays......... :rolleyes:

Now:

EMS, IFR/VFR Captain, 4 on - 4 off, (2 days, 2 nights)

$58000 Canadian (for a 1st year....) starting and the ability to earn OT @ time and half.
15 days off a year + dental and Medical.
Tax is running at about 48% + 15% GST. NOT GOOD!!

Citationkid 9th November 2003 11:19

Well after 28 years of State Police flying my dad's making $85,000 with 10 weeks off a year and 3 days off a week flying Bell 407's, not to bad

Thomas coupling 9th November 2003 17:47

Brilliant additions to the thread, evn some new names on the block - thanks Citationkid.

Overpitched, it's interesting to learn about your situation. Care to tell us about a day in the life of overpitched....and for all that money too:ugh:

Obviously no unions there, then!!!

Any takers for a salary lower than overpitched out there:ooh:

Captain Lai Hai 9th November 2003 17:49

GFS ad for a C&T captain in Hong Kong about 3 years ago was around HK$150,000 per month at less than 15% tax divide that by 7.9 for the US$ dollar conversion for playing games in Super Puma's and EC155's.

overpitched 9th November 2003 18:24

0600 : Snap awake ! Damn birds. Struggle out of swag, check boots for vermin, walk 30 paces to jet ranger, Daily.

0630 : Light stove (or fire) heat water for shower, have shower, check clothes for vermin, eat.

0800: Clear!! Pick up hikers, drop off hikers, pick up tourists, drop off tourists, look for crocs, look for sharks, look for fires, load freight, unload freight, land on beach, land on boat, land at falls, answer questions, ie "How high are we" "How fast are we going" etc etc

1600: Shut down, clean, grease, drink beer.

1730: 20 paces to kitchen, Heat water for shower, take shower, drink beer, cook, eat, drink beer, talk about helicopters, drink beer, swat flies, swat mozzies, talk about helicopters, drink beer.

2000: 15 paces to tent, check tent for vermin, check swag for vermin, dream about helicopters, dream about beer

Just another day........ Wouldn't be dead for quids.

the wizard of auz 9th November 2003 19:12

All for about $AUD30,000pa. (I own the bleeding business too)
this is why I went and got my CPLH, gunna do the same stuff, just gunna be more fun.

Bad day for a mustering pilot.
wake up! beat alarm into silence, wake cook up and demand coffee, go back to sleep until grizzling cook arives back with coffee, moan about cockies that want to start work in the middle of the night all the time.
watch tele until being late is enevitable and then throw clothes on and run out to landcruizer, swear about that alternater problem you've been meaning to fix, drag every one out of bed and push start the heap.
head on down to the airport, swearing at the idiots that cant see you..... turn headlights on. open hanger doors and pull airplane out, check oil level and look at almost flat right main tyre that you've been meaning to pump up and make mental note to pump it up soon. jump in plane and fire it up..... running a bit rough, must pull that plug out later and clean it.
taxi for intersection departure and throttle up as you leave the taxi way, wonder why its taking so long to get airspeed, dodge kangaroo and then turn on landing light so I can see, notice windsock and turn light off again.
arrive at station and commence fueling, check watch, swear loudly, appologise to managers wife who was standing behind you with instructions for the days toil.
taxi out to strip and blast off, narrowly missing kangaroo and landcruiser, make mental note to use lights more often.... and clean windscreen, gotta pull that plug and clean it one day. look at map and relize its upside down, burn finger on cigerette lighter and make mental note to fix interior light. turn around and head for right paddock. chase sheep, station hands and anything else that moves for a few hours, get belted around the sky with monster thermals and swear at the station hands for being only slightly smarter than the sheep, appologise to the managers wife who was monitoring the freq.
dive on slow sheep and clip tree, make mental note to clean windscreen coz it is all white in the rising sun, check mobile to see if its in range and sms a msge to order a wing tip back home.
fininsh paddock and think to ones self "thank christ for that" its about 50deg in here, then recieve a msg from the manager that we should muster no3 paddock coz it'll only take an hour or so.
laugh hysterically, and agree.
finish job and fly back to town, push plane into hanger and ring some one for a jumpstart (gotta fix that alternator)get home and feild phone calls from cockies that want you to start their extensive mustering program tomorrow (I didnt book coz I didnt think you were busy (Oh, I thought we paid that account, ok, I'll get the office girl to post you a chq)) and moan and complain about having to put shearing back a week. log onto internet with intent to find something specific, quickly check Pprune,get sidetracked and look at porn and stuff and forget why I logged on in the first place. make mental note to buy floral shirt (so I look like a ag pilot) and look for ag work. Drink beam to excess and drift off to sleep to dream of choppas and the porn I was looking at earlier.
Oh, hang on.. thats no a bad day, thats a normal day.
:} :E
Dunno if I would change a thing either (except to give overpitched's job a bash) :ok:

Mikila1A 9th November 2003 21:11

Offshore Eastern Canada

Capt. 600 hrs yearly 90,000 CDN

F/O 700 hrs yearly 70,000 CDN

Good equipment, good company, baddddddddddddd weather!


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